


Gaara Has a What???

by ayyces (alkalinePessimist)



Series: If Freaky Friday Were a Little More Fucked Up [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Baki Is Trying His Best, Body Swap, F/M, Kankuro Is Screaming, M/M, More tags to be added, Rasa's A+ Parenting, That really should be a tag, The Chunin Exams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26416021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alkalinePessimist/pseuds/ayyces
Summary: Lee was so excited to meet his soulmate, Gai Sensei had always talked about how lovely and dear soulmates could be!He just wasn't expecting for it all to go down during the Chunin Exams..._____Gaara had never been told how soulbonds worked, so when he woke up in someone else's room, in someone else's body, with strange people calling him by the wrong name...Well, nobody could blame him for being pissed.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s), ShikaTema - Relationship
Series: If Freaky Friday Were a Little More Fucked Up [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920073
Comments: 21
Kudos: 127





	1. The Switch

**Author's Note:**

> ET and I have been working on this for a while now, and we're finally able to start posting! 
> 
> Just to clear some things up, this soulmate au is one where you switch bodies with your soulmate one week before meeting them in person! Let the chaos ensue >:)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy <3

Dreams held a feeling of pleasantness that Gaara had never encountered before; he almost didn’t recognize the sensation as he soared above Suna, weightless, perched upon a cloud. The sun was setting over the walls of the Village, casting long shadows over citizens mulling about. Children were still out, playing in the streets before their mothers called them in for dinner. Everything felt… peaceful. No one has thrown anything at me yet, Gaara mused. This must be a dream.

But if he was deep enough into sleep that it activated his dreams…

Where were the demon's whispers? When would the fluffy cloud dissipate and let him fall into the abyss of screams and blood?

He felt a hole open up in his abdomen, and with that thought his mind jerked itself into awareness.

Light pierced his eyes as they snapped open, causing him to growl at the pain and quickly close them again, unused to the sensation. It took Gaara a moment to process how long he slept, considering it was just sunset when Baki had insisted he get one last bout of rest before their mission in Konoha truly began. They couldn’t have him going ballistic before the time was right, after all.

It was unlike Baki to let him rest for so long, and on the road no less. Gaara sat up to give him a death glare, only to find green blankets tangled around his legs, his gourd, Sensei, and siblings nowhere to be found.

Slowly, Gaara turned, examining the room he had woken up in carefully. Tatami mats, weights, exercise equipment, punching bag, two big windows with no curtains to block out the light. Outside the windows was more green than Gaara had ever seen in his entire cursed life. Fifty foot trees swayed in the breeze, and the unfamiliar sound of rustling leaves reached his ears.

Leaves…

He had to have woken up in the Leaf Village. Had he fallen ill? How long had he been out?

He jumped at the sound of exuberant knocking on the door, whipping around and expecting the flash of murderous rage that was sure to come, but…

The anger didn’t come. Only fear and anxiety rolled around in his stomach, an unsettling sensation as opposed to the familiar boiling hot rage or even scratching annoyance he typically felt.

“LEE! WE ONLY HAVE ONE SHORT DAY OF TRAINING LEFT TO PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR EXAMS!” A thunderous voice shook the door. “WE MUST CAPITALIZE ON YOUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH TO ITS MAXIMUM CAPACITY!” What. “OH, TO BE TAKING THE CHUNIN EXAMS, MY YOUNG PUPIL, YOU ARE BLOSSOMING INTO A YOUNG MAN BEFORE MY VERY EYES!” The distinct sound of sobbing began emanating through the door. Gaara had heard sobs before, but none had ever sounded quite so…. Passionate.

Swinging his legs over the bed, Gaara hauled himself up -how the hell was he so *sore*?- and hobbled his way over to the door.

Pulling the heavy door open, he scowled at the man making the racket just outside. “Shut up.” He tried and failed to say, his throat betraying him by cracking terribly on the first syllable.

“OH, LEE!” The beast in green spandex yanked Gaara into his embrace, evidently not realizing he was grabbing the wrong person through the continuation of his teary monologue.

Over the man’s shoulder, Gaara could see two others, closer to his age, looking bored and annoyed respectively. Gaara found himself sympathizing with what must be this man's team. How unfortunate for them.

And for him, he grimaced and tried to wiggle out of the green man’s embrace. He must not be a threat if the Sand wasn’t swirling around trying to separate them, but the thought of prolonged touch was beginning to give Gaara hives. He wasn’t about to wait for the man to finish his speech, which seemed to be endless. However he still couldn’t feel any of the piercing hatred that typically came with annoyances like this.

Not that he had ever experienced an annoyance quite like this.

No, he mostly felt uncomfortable, and he was quickly growing more desperate to get away from the stranger's embrace. He wedged his hands in between himself and the man and pushed as hard as his sore limbs could manage. 

The man stopped his tirade at Gaara's feeble push, pulling Gaara away from him but not letting go. He tilted his head and looked Gaara in the eyes, "Lee? Are you feeling alright , my boy?" He asked as Gaara's feet swung helplessly in the air. It was all he could do to stare back at him wide eyed. 

"Lee?" The girl who had looked bored earlier poked her head around the man's broad shoulders to gawk at him as well. 

Gaara scowled at her, but said nothing. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he was still dreaming. However, Gaara never had much of an imagination. That only left….

Gaara put his hands together in a seal. "Release!" He rasped out, but the green man in front of him didn't disappear in a genjutsu the way he had hoped. Rather, the man's brow furrowed even more at his gesture. 

From behind him, the other teammate gasped, a sound Gaara knew well, and stepped around the man to examine Gaara as well. Veins popped out of the skin at the boy's temples, and his gaze raked up and down Gaara's body. 

Gaara scowled at him, and when their eyes met, the boy's mouth twisted to match. 

"This isn't Lee." He declared, making the man holding Gaara aloft startle, thus jostling Gaara as well. "I'm sure of it, Sensei."

The team exchanged glances with each other, each expression ranging from derision (the boy), worry (the girl), and utter delight (the man… Sensei), before turning back to Gaara. 

Pinned under their stare, Gaara squirmed once again, leveling his most withering glare at the man still clutching his shoulders. "Put me down." He growled out.

He was quickly put down.

_________________

When Lee opened his eyes, he nearly fell out of a tree. 

He caught himself quickly, and then strained against a heavy weight strapped to his back. Hefting himself up, Lee glanced around. Had he been sleep-training again? It wouldn't surprise him, the Chunin Exams began in just twenty-four hours, after all! 

His theory was dashed when his gaze fell on a group of three, two masculine figures were crouched on a close branch, hovering over a prone feminine body. A damsel! 

Lee jumped up to help, only to catch himself again as he tipped backward. What in the world? Glancing back, he saw some sort of rock? Attached to him?? No matter, nothing could stop the mighty Rock Lee when there's someone in need! He leaned forward, and jumped the small gap. 

"What happened? Is she all right?" He cried, startling the two crouching above the girl. "You're not trying to hurt the lady, are you?" Inwardly, Lee frowned. His voice had gone raspy, he hoped he wasn't catching a cold so close to the beginning of the exams! 

As if by karma, the boy to Lee's left fell out of the tree when Lee spoke. Lee winced. 

"Apologies! I didn't mean to frighten you!" He called out, waving his arms frantically. The boy had caught himself about ten feet down on the trunk. The boy simply stared back at him, mouth agape. 

'Well, that confirms they're ninja,' Lee thought to himself, eyeing the Sand symbol on his headband. 

Lee turned back to the girl and the man who hadn't moved. "Does she need medical assistance?" 

The man, also bearing a sand headband, simply blinked at Lee. Lee frowned at the non answer and leaned over the girl, careful to brace his arm against the trunk so he wouldn't over balance and crush her. 

He couldn't see any bruising or cuts, and when he felt for her pulse, it was steady and strong.  _ Blood. _ There was seemingly no reason for her to be unconscious!  _ Give it to me…. _ Lee grimaced, but gently shook her shoulder. "Miss?" 

"Hey!" The shout made Lee jerk away from the girl and look over to where the boy with face paint was scrambling back up the tree. "Get your hands off her!"  _ Kill the loud one. _ "She's just…"  _ Give me his blood. _ He stopped himself as the man put his hand up.

"Enough Kankuro. Your… brother is just concerned for Temari." Lee looked at the man in confusion. Brother? Wait… 

Deeper voice, unfamiliar surroundings, foreigners seemingly knowing him… 

He's swapped bodies with his soulmate! Oh how wonderful!  _ No.  _ Gai Sensei had always talked about how soulmates completed you, but Lee had never thought he'd meet his Soulmate so soon!  _ It will be a short meeting.  _ He seemed to be a Shinobi as well, and headed to Konoha for the Chunin Exams! 

Lee could barely contain his excitement, but the boy, Kankuro, was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Oh, right!

Lee straightened his back in an attempt to appear confident. "Ahem, yes. I am simply concerned for Temari, brother." He didn’t think his soulmate’s brother was convinced. 

Kankuro choked. 

Damn.

"I must say, Gaara," the man said. He must be their Sensei, oh how amazing, he's meeting all his soulmates' Important People almost immediately! "It does seem quite odd for you to care this much about your sister." A team as a family! How lovely!  _ It's disgusting.  _ But… odd? Lee frowned. Why wouldn't his soulmate be concerned? 

"Baki!" Kankuro spluttered. Baki held up his hand more firmly and continued. 

"To what do we owe this change of heart, Gaara?" Baki stared pointedly at Lee. 

Lee blinked. How to answer that one? Why would his soulmate suddenly seem to care about his sister? "...the Chunin Exams." Lee said stiffly.  _ She will help us obtain blood there.  _ Baki stared at him, so Lee quickly moved to elaborate. "We uh. need three in our team to take them, yes? If Tem-Temari is ill, we won't be able to… proceed." 

Baki nodded slowly. "All right then, Gaara. But I think she's just more tired than she thought." He turned back to Temari, and Lee felt relief sweep over him. Gaara… his soulmates' name was Gaara…. 

Kankuro still didn't seem to buy Lee's ploy, given the side-eye Lee was currently receiving. Or perhaps that was just normal between him and Gaara. Hmm….

_ Kill him, spill his blood on our sand, weakling.  _

There was also that. 

Lee rubbed his temple, trying to will the voice away. 

_ Nice try. Soak the sand in blood and perhaps I'll stay silent long enough for you to think. _

It seemed his soulmate had a demon. Perhaps Lee could do something about it. 

_ Ha. Try to remove me and your precious little soulmate will die, idiot.  _

Lee grit his teeth and ignored the voice. 

How was he going to get through the Chunin Exams like this?

____________________

"Gaara has a fucking  _ soulmate _ ?  _ Gaara???" _ Kankuro hissed at Baki, who kept his own lips pursed in a tight line. This would certainly cause trouble, their ace in the hole for this mission just up and vanished. Who's to say Gaara wouldn't go berserk without them there as a reminder? The mission would be ruined before it had even begun. 

Baki closed his eyes. 'Forgive me, Lord Kazekage. I could not have foreseen this predicament.' 

"How the  _ hell _ does Gaara have a fucking  _ soulmate? _ And from the Leaf? We're about to at-" 

"That's enough, Kanakuro." Baki opened his eyes, cutting off Kankuro's panicked spiel. "It may be a shinobi of a different Village coming for the Exams." He stated. 

" _ That doesn't make it better, Baki." _

Baki rolled his eyes. "Just go wake your sister and catch her up on what she's missed." His fingers found a home at his temple as he attempted to stave off his incoming headache. 

As Kankuro turned to Temari, Baki hazarded a glance back in the too-damn-perky Gaara's direction. 

The kid was frowning, but rather than looking enraged as the expression typically made Gaara's face look, the kid looked sad. 

Baki groaned to himself.

This was going to be a long mission.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kankuro Has A Mid-Life Crisis, Gaara Tries Some Dango, and Temari is Out Of It.

If anyone asked, Kankuro was having an awful day, thanks. 

His little brother… the demon that had their whole Village jumping at the shadows… had a soulmate.

Apparently. 

Not only did Gaara have a soulmate, but he just HAD to switch with the kid right before one of the biggest missions in their short lives. The Elders had theorized he wouldn’t, demons didn’t have souls, they said. Bullshit, he was just a kid. The demon was IN him. 

Nevermind those nightmares he had when he was littler, of his little brother’s face widening into a sickening blood soaked grin, eyes turning black and gold as he screamed bloody murder. Kankuro had always believed Gaara was a human.

But still, a soulmate. Gaara.

If his father wasn’t Kazekage, he’d have quit right then and there. He wasn’t equipped to handle this man.

Temari wasn’t even awake to slap him upside the head for panicking too loudly in a foreign land. Giving away their position, not to mention that their team was weakened by an unfamiliar member at the moment….

They had never even given Gaara the soulmate talk. The elders assumed it would be a distraction and that he wouldn’t need it to complete missions. 

Fucking hell. 

Kankuro grimaced and did his level best to put on a brave face to shake Temari awake. When someone else was waking her, she usually came up swinging. 

This time, however, she simply scrunched her face and cracked her eyes open. “Kankuro?”

He shook off the oddness of her easy-going response. “You’re never gonna believe this, Tem. Gaara’s gone AWOL.”

Her eyes opened wider and her nose scrunched even more. “What?” She sat up quickly, forcing Kankuro back, and looked around for the little monster. Kankuro noted the moment she saw him standing with Baki, more assessing than upset. “What do you mean, AWOL?” 

Kankuro grinned wolfishly, “I  _ mean _ , Gaara’s probably somewhere in Konoha already. That’s his soulmate right there.” He jerked his thumb at the perky kid making himself at home in his brother. 

Temari’s mouth opened slightly, and she blinked once. Twice. She looked between him and Not Gaara. Kankuro was somewhat disappointed in the mediocre response from her.

He knew damn well  _ he _ wanted to scream.

______

Tenten wasn’t really sure what to make of her teammate’s soulmate.

They were kind of obvious about it, for one. They clearly didn’t know much about soulbonds in general, let alone the fact that they were really supposed to be hidden. 

“Soooooo,” she started, watching the usually starry brown eyes slowly shift over to her in a squint. It was like the kid never got any sunlight. A citizen maybe? A night owl? “What’s your name? You’re obviously not Lee, no offense.” 

On her other side, Neji shifted the tiniest bit. Pretending he wasn’t curious. Ha, like Tenten wouldn’t tease him about that later. 

After their own soul switch a week before their first day at the academy, he had never been able to hide anything from her. 

“….” The kid said, very pointedly. 

“Aww c’mon. I’ll help you blend in with the rest of us if you let me know your name! It’s kinda expected to be a little subtle about the switch.” Tenten bit her lip. So far, the kid hadn’t been very cooperative, or responsive to any of their prodding. Gai-Sensei had gone to get some dango to see if that didn’t butter them up a little.

“….” They said again. Tenten almost opened her mouth to continue, but Neji’s heel digging into her foot clenched her jaw shut. “…Gaara.” He said, voice low. 

Tenten smiled at them. “All right then Gaara! Now, I hope you’re ok with masculine pronouns, because until you switch back, you’ll probably have to get used to them.” 

Gaara looked her in the eye, and it felt like they were staring right through her. “…I am a Man.”

“Oh, well that’s convenient then!” She said lightly. Neji huffed softly from behind his sleeve. How was that funny? Whatever. 

“Well then, Gaara. My name is Tenten, this is Neji, you’re currently… ah, in Lee, and our Sensei is Gai!” She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you!”

Gaara looked at her hand like it was poisoned. 

She let it fall, clearing her throat. 

“Anyway, I hope you like sweets, we can talk over the dango Gai-Sensei is getting if you’d like!” she smiled at him.

He stared back.

She wasn’t quite sure what to do with that. At least with Neji she knew when and how to keep prying until he gave something up, but this kid….

Well. 

Lee was going to have a full plate when he got back, that’s all she’ll say!

They sat in awkward silence for approximately seven more seconds before it was disrupted.

“Hello, my beautiful students, I have returned with a mighty bounty!” Gai-Sensei burst as he hurtled over the railing.

Gaara flinched, she assumed at the sudden noise, because Gai-Sensei hadn’t even come close to hitting him. (Though he might have if he knew Lee was still in the body. “Vigilance is key during surprise attacks,” and all.) 

Gai-Sensei handed her a stick first, then Neji’s special order with a single ball on it. He wasn’t all that fond of sweets, but after Tenten had elbowed him in the ribs, he’d agreed to one simply so Gaara felt like they were all in it together. 

Gaara stared down the dango stick Gai-Sensei was holding out to him.

Gai-Sensei glanced at Tenten, and she subtly shrugged and signed ‘boy’ in Konoha Sign. 

“Are you alright, young man? Perhaps I didn’t get a flavor you typically enjoy! I’m sure both Tenten and I wouldn’t mind switching if that’s the case!” Gai-Sensei struck his Nice Guy Pose, and Gaara continued to stare at the dango.

Tenten shared a Look with Neji. She knew the saying “opposites attract”, but this didn’t…

“I don’t know if I like it.” Came the quiet explanation. 

Tenten frowned. “The flavor?”

“…Sweet things.” Gaara tentatively plucked the stick out of Gai-Sensei’s hands, seemingly not noticing the concerned expressions on all their faces at the statement.

“Well!” Gai-Sensei “There’s always a first time for everything!” He cleared his throat, and Tenten took a bite out of her own dango. “How do you like it, son?” 

Gaara sat staring into space, chewing. 

Tenten wasn’t sure if he’d respond or not, the kid seemed pretty introverted and she had only gotten a few words out of him. 

“…Sweet.” Came the response.

Neji grunted and said, “Can’t say I’m a fan myself.” Then bit into his strawberry flavored dango. 

Gaara looked at him, taking another bite without his face scrunching up. Gai seemed emboldened by this, and held out his own stick for Gaara to take. “We'll see what you like and don’t like then! Your Springtime of Youth is all about learning about yourself after all!” he grinned, and Tenten rolled her eyes inward. 

Gaara seemed to have a similar reaction Lee used to though. Wide eyed, he looked between the sticks of dango and Gai before delicately plucking the second stick from him too. Gai-Sensei beamed. 

“Thank you.” Gaara murmured, nibbling on the new flavor.

Tenten couldn’t stop the smile threatening to overtake her face. Lee’s soulmate was a sweetheart, nervous and shy, probably a civilian if she had to guess. 

“We can explain while we eat, then.” She elbowed Neji and gave Sensei a pointed Look.

Neji sighed through his nose but didn’t protest. “All right then. The soulmate talk.”

-

“Gaara.” His soulmate’s Sensei cut through the monologue that he was currently trying to keep up with in his head.

Lee turned to see Baki standing three feet away, scrutinizing him with his single eye. 

He didn’t say anything though, so Lee stood up a little straighter and put his hands on his hips. “Yes sir?”

Baki’s expression twisted, and he seemed to come to a decision.

“Once we get to Konoha, we’ll find a secluded spot to go over some of the basics of your ninjutsu. I want to make sure you have everything covered for these exams.”

Lee's heart leapt. Ninjutsu??? That’s right, he could do ninjutsu in this body couldn’t he? He couldn’t help the ecstatic grin that overcame his face. “Yes sir!” He said with what he knew was entirely too much enthusiasm, and his hand came up for a thumbs up. He quickly managed to change it to a salute instead, it seemed more fitting for what he knew of his soulmate.

Baki just pursed his lips and nodded. He somehow looked satisfied and disturbed all at once. 

Oh well. Lee was never the best actor.

“Get your siblings, and we'll be on our way.” Baki turned away before Lee could respond, so he simply straightened his posture again, jeez this gourd was heavy, and turned his attention to the siblings, where they were hunched over together. 

Lee jumped over to where they were chatting amongst themselves. “We had better go if we wish to arrive on time, don’t you think?” He did his best to keep the smile off his face. It didn’t seem like his soulmate was one for smiling.

Judging from the way Kankuro jumped, Lee was not successful.

Well! If he could not do it next time, then once he was back in his own body, he would run twenty laps around the village!

Temari simply looked at him.

It felt as though she was looking through his soul.

“Good thinking, Gaara.” She stood up, brushing a few leaves off her skirt from where they had fallen in her sleep. “I’d like to sleep in a proper bed tonight, maybe I won’t be so tired then.”

Lee bounced up, pursing his lips to avoid his blinding smile, and his hand twitched as he reflexively tried to give her a thumbs up. He caught himself and jerked his head in what he hoped wasn’t too enthusiastic of a nod. 

How did people go about their day not expressing themselves???? Lee would never understand.

______

They ran through the forest, feet connecting to branches, and Kankuro kept his eyes on his little brother’s body. The kid seemed to move okay, though he kept losing balance because of the gourd. 

He huffed as Baki grabbed him by the strap and yanked him upright again, and turned to Temari jumping beside him. She seemed… quiet. 

She was probably worried about the plan, with Gaara gone. The kid seemed like they were stable enough, but they didn’t know what they were up against, and they were probably a civilian, and they had a  _ week _ of this to get through-

“Sooo…” Temari began, jerking Kankuro out of his mild panic. Maybe she had some nice, soothing topic to distract him. “Gaara has a soulmate, huh?” Fucking damn it.

Kankuro let out a slightly too high laugh. “Yeah, apparently. You notice how the kid  _ bounces _ even when he’s standing still?”

“You think it’s someone from the Leaf?”

“I dunno, probably?” Kankuro pushed off another branch and adjusted Crow on his back. “I know there are gonna be other villages there, but there’ll be a lot more of those little leaf bastards running around. It’s more likely.”

Temari side-eyed him. “What does that mean for,” her eyes flicked up to Not Gaara, again in Baki’s grip. “y’know.”

“I don’t know,” Kankuro says honestly, “He’s kind of the linchpin right? We’re going to have to tell father.”

Temari pursed her lips. “What do you think he’ll make of this?”

“Well, surely he didn’t see this coming,” Kankuro sniffed, looking at Gaara’s back. The kid had seemingly gotten a hang of adjusting for the gourd. At least they were a quick learner. “What do you think is going on with….” the bloodthirsty demon that’s always fighting to claw its way out of him at any given time? “You know?”

She inhaled. “Shit, i didn’t think of that.”

“Well, you better start thinking about it,” he grumbled, “Because if Gaara still has his abilities, our cover could be completely blown.”

“What do you mean if Gaara still has his abilities?”

Kankuro waved a hand at her. “I don’t know how this whole soulmate shit works.” Would the Ichibi have travelled with Gaara, or was that kid getting full frontal demon right now? They sure didn’t seem like it to him.

“Gaara should still be able to do everything he could do before, unless, you know, that’s a civilian who has no idea how ninjutsu works.” Temari hummed thoughtfully. Honestly, she should really be more distressed about this whole thing. 

“Aw hell, I didn’t even think that it could be a civilian.” Kankuro hoped the kid wasn’t a civilian, Gaara would destroy them in seconds.

“It’s something we should definitely consider, especially since we’re doing the Chunin Exams with them. We should talk to Baki. See if he has a game plan for how to deal with this.” Temari had her jaw set. That was as good a plan as any, and she was done talking.

Kankuro nodded in assent.

“Right.”

____

Gaara had sat through the rather ridiculous ‘Soulmate Talk’ from his apparent ‘Soulmate's' team. 

He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all, or how it fit into his current understanding of living. He didn’t have to kill people to know he existed? All he had to do was come to Konoha and meet his soulmate? That was proof of his existence right there. 

What was the killing for then? To keep him alive until he figured it out? Or…

Everybody has a soulmate. Gai-Sensei had said. Usually children get the Talk when they’re old enough to understand. 

Why then, wasn’t he told of this? He could understand it fine, even if he didn’t understand how it worked. He was tied to someone, he had a soul, and his soul had another part to it that was missing. 

Perhaps he didn’t need to prove he existed to himself anymore. Perhaps he had to prove it to everyone else. 

How….. troublesome.

Perhaps he should…. Ask. Someone.

He hadn’t asked for input from anyone since Yashamaru. But…

These people were different. In a sense. They didn’t know how many of his own people he had killed. Killed them to feel alive, killed them on Mother’s prompting, killed them on his father sending them whether he’d fight back or not. 

They didn’t know about the demon.

They had accepted and accommodated for him like it was just another day.

What were these people?

Regardless, the sun had set, and his team would be arriving in the morning.

Not that he could seek them out.

Did he want to seek them out?

He had a week to decide. 

His eyes were drooping, exhaustion hitting him harder than it did in his own body. At least he was in his own room so he could meditate.

Well, not his own room. Lee’s room. Lee, his soulmate. Now that was a thought he would have to get used to.

He sat down on Lee’s soft mattress and settled in, ready to listen to the whisper of the Leaves in the wind for the night, when a thought hit him. 

Gaara jolted, awake for a moment before the drowsiness crept back in. He could sleep…. He woke up in this body, he could sleep in this body….

Gaara shuffled in the bed until he was horizontal and shut his eyes.

It was quiet without the demon or Mother nearby, but the constant rustle of leaves was comforting, if different. 

Gaara fell deep into sleep for the first time in his short life. 

Hopefully after the week was up, it wouldn’t be the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! The last chapter got so much love, I'm excited to continue this for you guys!
> 
> If you're interested in the other half of this fic, ET is writing the ShikaTema half in Part 2 of this series, and just posted Chapter 1 last week! Check it out!
> 
> Also, if you think Gaara is ooc, remember that while he is an efficient killer, he tends to just let his reflexive Sand do the work for him. He has no Sand, and in Lee's body has no way of doing ninjutsu, he's effectively powerless. Also, He Doesn't Want To They Gave Him Sweets. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Credits to my lovely beta ET :')


End file.
